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Landmark Sea Lion Legislation Signed into Law
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Last week, the U.S. House voted to pass bipartisan legislation to protect salmon and steelhead from excessive sea lion predation in the Columbia River basin. The Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Act (S. 3119) was passed by the U.S. Senate last week and was signed into law by President Trump. The bill was adopted by Unanimous Consent and caps a decade-long effort to pass sea lion legislation, a key priority for Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Jim Risch (R-ID) ushered the legislation through the U.S. Senate after the House acted in June to pass nearly identical legislation (H.R. 2083) by a strong bipartisan vote, including the support of every House member from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
The legislation amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act providing a more streamlined process to effectively address excessive sea lion predation where we know the problem is most acute, including a large stretch of the river below Bonneville Dam, in the Willamette River, and in other tributaries. |
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Millions of Chinook Fry Perish at Puget Sound Hatchery
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As many as 6.2 million Chinook Salmon fry died last weekend when a backup generator failed after a windstorm caused a power outage at the Minter Creek Hatchery in Gig Harbor. Of the 6.2 million Chinook fry that were lost, 4.2 million were Deschutes River fall Chinook fry. This represents the entire 2018 Deschutes run and will cripple South Puget Sound Salmon Fisheries for years to come. Another 1.5 were Minter Creek fall Chinook fry and 507,000 were White River spring Chinook fry.
The lack of a fish hatchery on the Deschutes River in south Puget Sound has meant that production of salmon for the watershed must rely entirely on other facilities across the region. With no native salmon run due to a natural barrier on the lower river, the Deschutes watershed offers an ideal location for a modern salmon hatchery. Unfortunately, the proposed Deschutes River hatchery has continued to be pushed down the priority list despite receiving leased land to build the facility and securing initial project funding, thanks in large part to CCA efforts in prior budget cycles. |
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Governor Inslee's 2019-2021 Budget Proposals
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Governor Inslee released his 2019-2021 Operating and Capital Budgets on December 13th. The Inslee budgets invest heavily in saving the Southern Resident Killer Whales by increasing funding for habitat and hatcheries. Funding is also provided to improve the management of forage fish and to collect additional information to help better manage the growing pinniped population. Here are some of the highlights that directly impact our salmon and steelhead populations:
- $12 million in the operating budget to maximize existing capacity at WDFW hatcheries to produce an additional 18.6 million salmon smolts.
- Capital investments totaling $75.7 million to make improvements to keep hatcheries operating and meet water quality standards. Additional funding was included for the Soos Creek, Naselle and Kalama Falls hatcheries. No additional funding was provided for the Deschutes Watershed Center (Hatchery). See related article, "Millions of Chinook Fry Perish at Puget Sound Hatchery."
- $524,000 in the operating budget to examine issues related to increasing the Chinook population by reestablishing salmon runs above the Chief Joseph dam.
- $743,000 in operating budget to improve monitoring and management of forage fish that provide the food source for Chinook.
- $4.7 million to collect additional population information and develop management options for pinnipeds in Puget Sound and to increase management actions in the Columbia River
- Directs the Department of Ecology to increase the amount of water in salmon bearing rivers and streams by modifying state Water Quality Standards to allow more spill over the Columbia and Snake River dams.
Many of the items in the governor's plan are consistent with a letter CCA Washington sent to the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force, during the public input process, which focused on increased hatchery production, predator control and harvest reductions. |
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Letter to Commission Illustrates Concerns over Columbia River Policy Review
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Following the release of WDFW's comprehensive review of the Columbia River reforms policy (C-3620), CCA sent a letter to the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission expressing dismay at the lacking content of the review. One the most concerning aspects of the review is its evaluation of the conservation benefits of the Columbia River reforms, which has led to false claims that it has not improved fish conservation in the Columbia River basin. In the letter to the Commission, CCA offered critical questions about the impact of mainstem gillnet fisheries on target salmon species and non-target bycatch species like steelhead and sturgeon, along with recommendations as the Commission considers its next steps for implementing the Columbia River reforms that were promised to the public nearly six years ago. |
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Idaho Reopens Steelhead Angling
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The Idaho Fish & Game Commission reversed their previous decision to close steelhead fishing statewide, following an agreement between IDFG, a local coalition called the Idaho River Community Alliance, and five groups that threatened to sue Idaho officials over the lack of federal authorization for steelhead fishing in the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater River systems. The agreement will result in two new sections of closed waters until NOAA issues the permits for the steelhead fishery, or at the traditional end of the season on March 15th, 2019.
Concerned anglers and community members raised public awareness of the impacts that a closed season would have on their communities, while correctly pointing out that downstream impacts, including gillnetting and predation by pinnipeds, have a far greater impact on wild steelhead than their mark-selective sport fisheries.
If the full closure had occurred, recreational anglers and rural communities were going to suffer due to another cynical lawsuit from extremist anti-hatchery organizations such as Wild Fish Conservancy. It is important to remember that the pending lawsuit had nothing to do with conservation concerns.
CCA Washington initiated an advocacy campaign to engage anglers and ask them to encourage NOAA to expedite the FMEP review and permitting process. Approximately 1,000 messages were sent in the campaign, and NOAA Fisheries is currently on schedule to issue the permit for Idaho sport steelhead fisheries in the coming months. CCA will continue to monitor the permitting process to ensure Idaho steelhead sport fisheries are safe in the future. |
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WDFW Director Suggests Gillnets are Selective
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WDFW Director Kelly Susewind was asked about efforts to remove non-selective gillnets from our rivers during a recent "digital open house" event. The question and his disappointing response can be viewed HERE.
In his response, Director Susewind repeated industry claims that gillnets are selective by "time, area and place" and suggested that gillnets can be an effective tool for harvesting excess returning hatchery fish. These arguments simply don't stand up to scrutiny in mixed-stock fisheries where you have ESA-listed, wild, and hatchery fish intermingled, which is currently the norm for most Washington salmon fisheries. Claims that gillnets are selective also fly in the face of the consequences of decades of non-selective overharvest: extinctions, ESA listings, and depressed salmon runs - even in areas with suitable habitat.
WDFW has also hosted a series of local open house meetings as part of its effort to build support for a $60 million budget increase though higher license fees and additional state general funds. WDFW is also requesting that the Legislature reauthorize the $8.50 Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead endorsement, which is annually purchased by 200,000 recreational anglers who fish the Columbia River basin. Many recreational anglers are questioning the need for this endorsement if gillnets stay in the mainstem.
Director Susewind conceded that he had more to learn about the issue. You can email him directly at Kelly.Susewind@dfw.wa.gov if you would like to share your views and first-hand experiences with gillnets. Please keep your email constructive and courteous. |
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Don't Miss the 2019 Washington Sportsmen's Show
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The 2019 Washington Sportsmen's Show, complete with new exhibits and features, is scheduled for January 23-27 at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. As always, CCA Washington will be on-hand with a booth dedicated to promoting conservation and sport fishing. We will be offering bonus gifts with the purchase of a membership, along with giveaways for kids.
CCA will also have materials with the latest advocacy and membership event information, so be sure to check those out as well. As a volunteer staffed event, we're always looking for members interested in helping share CCA with others at the Sportsmen's Show. CCA booth volunteers receive free entry the day they volunteer. Please contact our office at 360-694-4300 or send an email to info@ccawashington.org if you're interested in volunteering at the show. |
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Helpful Tip: Washington State Fuel Tax Refund
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It's almost tax season and while many of us are getting ready to prepare our annual tax forms, we wanted to inform you about another way to potentially see more savings on your fishing trips with the Washington State Fuel Tax Refund.
According to the Washington State DOL website, this tax refund may apply to individuals who:
- Claim at least 54 gallons of refundable fuel per claim/year (fuel purchased for use in your automobiles is prohibited);
- Include receipts or invoices for all gallons claimed;
- File a claim within 13 months from the date of purchase for your fuel.
If this may apply to you, visit the Washington state DOL website for more information or consult with a tax professional. |
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2019 Spring Banquets
February 23 • North Snohomish County (Everett)
March 2 • Twin Harbors (Aberdeen)
March 2 • Tri Cities (Pasco)
March 9 • Sea Tac (Kent)
March 16 • Lewis County (Centralia)
March 22 • Hell's Canyon (Clarkston)
March 30 • Kitsap (Bremerton)
April 3 • North Sound (Mount Vernon)
May 10 • Southwest Washington (Vancouver)
May 16 • Pierce County (Puyallup)
May 30 • North Olympic Peninsula (Sequim)
May 31 • Yakima (Selah)
June 21 • Sno King (Woodinville)
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CHECK US OUT
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